S.S. Lane Victory in San Pedro needs help getting shipshape

Bob Figueroa, 88, who served on the merchant marine tanker ship the SS Fort Moutrie in World War II, right, and Gregory Williams, executive director of the SS Lane Victory, stand on the signal bridge of the Lane Victory in San Pedro, CA on Saturday, February 22, 2014. The ship and its board of directors are in need of volunteers and funding to keep the ship open as a museum. (Scott Varley / Staff Photographer)

SAN PEDRO >> The S.S. Lane Victory may be out of war, but it’s still called out for duty — though of a much lighter variety. The World War II relic, now a floating museum, makes three voyages to Catalina Island in the summer for Victory at Sea cruises.

Those regular trips mean the ship — despite its status as a nationally recognized historical landmark — must undergo inspections and maintenance that require fundraising and keep dozens of volunteers busy.

However, Gregory P. Williams, executive director and board president of the U.S. Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II, said the work is fun, especially for those who like ships and the sea.

“It’s a toy for big kids,” he said.

The Merchant Marine vessel is licensed by the Coast Guard, which requires it to go into dry dock every five years for inspection, cleaning, painting and other repair work, Williams said. The cost for this upkeep is about $1 million every five years, he said.

Williams said he’s seeking a year’s extension on the maintenance upgrades requirement this year because only about half of the repair costs have been raised through grants and revenue from the Catalina Island excursions.

The cruises require a crew of 165 volunteers. However, the volunteers are also needed for a large assortment of tasks, including engineers to fix engines, electricians painters, docents to provide the tours and cooks to prepare lunches that are served Wednesdays and Saturdays.

“We definitely need a lot more volunteers,” Williams said.

Charles Savona, a volunteer for 25 years who maintains the ship’s 15 guns, heads a crew of nine volunteers.

“It doesn’t feel like I’m working when I’m on the ship,” said the 89-year-old Huntington Beach man.

Bob Figueroa, 87, of El Monte, has been with the program for 10 years as a signal man. He still climbs the ship’s signal bridge, about four levels above the main deck, on a regular basis.

“I go up and down the ladder around six or seven times a day,” he said.

Williams said the museum provides an important history of the Merchant Marine role in World War II, when it delivered supplies to American troops around the world. All supplies were moved by ship, and the Navy did not transport nonmilitary cargo, according to Williams.

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“Little thought is ever given to the fact that every soldier needed to eat every day,” he said, adding they also need a number of other supplies, such as rain gear, underwear, glasses, tents and boots.

The Merchant Marine ships were vital to the war cause, which made them primary targets of the enemy, historians say. In 1942, according to Williams, German submarines sank an average of 33 merchant ships every week. The Merchant Marines lost one of every 26 merchant seamen.

“That was the highest kill ratio of the war,” he said.

By comparison, the Navy lost one of every 144 men, the Army lost one of every 64 men and the Marines lost one of every 36 men.

The U.S. built over 4,000 merchant ships during the war, including the S.S. Lane Victory, which served in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

“She is actually the only remaining fully operational Victory ship left in the world,” he said, adding that an Act of Congress in 1988 allowed it to become a museum and a National Historic Monument.

For more details about the nonprofit organization, visit www.sslanevictory, or to volunteer call 562-708-1550.